I need some advice on tools and equipment. I'm starting over from scratch and it might be quicker and less expensive if I know what I need and don't need. I've done a lot of research already but I'm sure I've missed a few things. Maybe if we get enough info we can put it in the Wiki for other noobs like me.

What are your "must haves" for 12th scale?

1. A 1/12th scale car.








Sorry Couldn't resist..

I’d say a tire truer is way up on the list.

I'd say a pair of digital calipers and if you have the money, a setup station.

anyone with experience of running on concrete, or what is done so foams grip it? concrete treatments, coatings, etc?

we have put sugar water down in halls for demos. Let it dry, and after a while there was good tack. Then after a few rounds it would keep its tack from the heat in the tires. Not as good as Asphalt or Carpet, but it worked.

as far as coating, you can get Silica (fine powder) at Sherwin williams, you can mix it into an floor epoxy, heavy on the silica side, and it will leave a tack like fine sandpaper. they use it as an antiskid surface.

Cyanoacrylate glue for front tire sidewalls.

A toenail scissor for trimming those sidewalls (and bodies).

Weldwood Contact Cement (red label, not green) for keeping tires glued to rims-- check after each run. Repair any tears with it before they turn into chunks. And if a chunk does come off, and you can find it on track, glue it back in!

The contact cement also makes good thread-locker. It keeps screws in place, but never fully hardens, so you can get the screw out if needed.

1S ESC is a really nice to have, otherwise you need a voltage booster with 1S.

As previously mentioned, a tire truer would be high on the list.

Which track? 5280?

No, a little further north, in Ft. Collins: E-TEAM Hobbyplex
On road Wednesdays and Sundays.
Off road on Friday
Oval on Saturday
Drones on Tuesday

I'm just getting back in as well... Can you (or anyone) please expand on trimming sidewalls. It seems that a lot of what has changed has to do with higher grip black carpet, and probably cars having more grip...

Thanks!

As the front tires wear, the super-glued sidewall can form a thin lip, since it resists wear better than the normal rubber. Trimming the lip even or a little below the rest of the tire contact patch helps reduce the chance of tearing a section off when the lip starts flapping around, and reduces the possibility of the lip digging into the carpet (which makes the handling somewhat unpredictable).

You could also put the tires back on a truer, but lazy people like me don't want to take the time or effort.

Pre-painted body given to me in neon pink. I ran it first time at Indy RC last weekend. Associated 12R5.2 underneath. I added more bling with prismachrome decals. You can see it coming! LOL

fixed broken link to AE12R6 page on WIKI

I used to just put them back on the truer and round off the edge a bit, but yous is a much easier solution. Thanks for the tip!